Originally from Philadelphia, Julius Leblanc Stewart was just ten years old when his parents moved to Paris. Son of the collector and art patron William Hood Stewart, the young Julius was admitted to the École nationale des Beaux-Arts in the studio of Jean-Léon Gérôme in 1873. It was Gérôme who introduced Stewart to Egypt in 1874. Together with another student, Paul Lenoir, the three men crisscrossed the country for several weeks, until Stewart decided to return alone to Paris. His rare Orientalist works are clearly inspired from this trip.
Prior to his joining the studio of Gérôme, Stewart was a student of Eduardo Zamacoïs, and upon his return from Egypt he moved into his own studio next to that of Raimundo Madrazo. It is clear that Stewart was greatly influenced by the Spaniards in his use of a rich, vibrant palette, gestural brushwork and sumptuous scenes, albeit mostly of young fashionable ladies.
The identical attributes can be seen in L’esclave. Set against a rich tapestry of deep claret, the young slave girl is captured posing with her hands gracefully raised to her head. Her pale flesh is in stark contrast to the deep tones of the background, her complete nudity softened only by the diaphanous fabric of her skirt. At her feet, a pillow tapestried in red and cream, echoing the tones of the slave and her background, is thrown casually aside, slumped against the narghile, which is no longer in use. The overall effect is one of luxury and exoticism, and executed with a freedom which was not available to the artist in his more traditional artistic endeavors.

Post Lot Text

This lot is offered without reserve which will be sold to the highest bidder regardless of the pre-sale
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